Attack on Titan or Shingeki no Kyojin (“The Advancing Giant”) written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama is a popular Japanese manga series published on September 9, 2009. At present, it has released 32 volumes and still counting.
Its storyline sets in a world where behemoth man-eating creatures named “Titans” dwell near a walled city. The city’s perimeter is barred with enormous walls to protect the people against these cannibal humanoids. Eren Yeager (Eren Jaeger in Funimation dub) is a young man who vowed to avenge humanity after a titan ravaged their town and killed his mom.
Attack on Titan has been featured since September 2009 in Kodansha’s monthly Bessatsu Shonen Magazine with a collection of 32 tankobon (independent/standalone book) volumes in September 2020. Its anime series of seasons 1 – 3, adapted from its manga version, was produced by Wit Studio and by MAPPA for season 4.
Its first season was aired from April to September 2013 with its 25 episodes and a 12-episode sequel for its second season released in April to June 2017. The third season was divided in half, with the first 12 episodes released from July to October 2018 and the last ten episodes from April to July 2019. The fourth and final season is scheduled to broadcast this December 2020.
Because of its success, Attack on Titan has sold over 100 million tankobon copies as of December 2019 worldwide and earned the title as the best-selling manga series of all time.
Being able to garner exemplary awards such as the Kodansha Manga Award, Micheluzzi Award, and Harvey Award has proved itself one of the best manga series worldwide.
Critics also welcomed the anime series with positive reviews. Its first three seasons have received praise in terms of story, animation, and production, making it widely known in Asia and America.
However, despite being popular in Japan’s neighboring countries, it has caused controversies over China and North Korea because of their political interpretations of the story.
Setting
Two thousand years ago, a young woman named Ymir Fritz made a deal with the Devil of the Earth and became the first humanoid giant that soon became known as Titans.
Empowered with special skills, she became an instrument by her king to establish the kingdom of Eldia by crushing Marley, their rival nation. After she died, her special abilities were passed down through the generations manifesting in nine unique forms. Such powers were kept for centuries by the royal Fritz family.
One century before the Titans’ dominance in the kingdom of Eldia, the 145th Eldian King, King Karl Fritz, was disillusioned by his ancestors’ powers and followed a destructive path, which led to the downfall of Eldia and paved the way for Marley into rebellion.
Because of this rebellion, seven out of the nine Titan powers owned Marley. By using the ninth ability, which was the power of the Founding Titan, Fritz was able to transfer a number of his people into the island of Paradis and started anew as a nation.
By creating millions of Colossal Titans, Fritz built curtain walls he named after his three daughters: Maria, Rose, and Sheena.
After constructing these walls, Fritz made a vow that wadis will release the Titans inside the walls if war occurs. However, this was just a bluff, for he already renounced war a long time ago. With his Founding Titan powers, he created a blood pact that would instill his promise to Paradis along with his heirs despite their disapproval about it.
However, those Eldians who were left behind inside Marley were treated poorly. If they show signs of disobedience, they are sent to Paradis after injecting with a Titan’s spinal fluid. Afterwhich, they become mindless cannibal “Pure” Titans who would go straight on King Fritz’s walls.
Karl Fritz also erased the memories of his Eldian Citizens by using his Titan power and gave nobility honors to that unaffected one made outcasts as with the csian clan’s case Ackerman family. Fear of the Titans and knowledge of their ability was hidden from the people of Eldia to contain them inside Paradis to the extent that they come to believe that they were the last of the human race.
Its cannibal instinct only governs pure Titans, and unlike the Founding Titan, it has no inherent powers. However, should one consume a possessing human one of the nine Titan powers, such Pure Titan would inherit that power for himself.
Attack on Titan Plot
Eren Yeager, who lives in thrashing near Wall Maria and Mikasa Ackerman and his best friend Armin Arlert, joined the military after a handful of Titans attacked their hometown. The disaster left Eren orphaned and vowed to avenge his mother’s death and his father’s disappearance.
Five years later, Eren was devoured by a Titan but could survive after creating and controlling a Titan’s body. And because of this, Eren was able to harness a Titan’s power but has created ruckus inside their ranks and viewed him as a potential threat.
Attack on Titan Season 4
The fourth and final season of the Attack on Titan will be released on December 7, 2020, according to NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai), Japan’s public broadcaster. Crunchyroll and Funimation also announced on their websites that Attack on Titan Season 4 will be streamed later this year.
By the end of its third season, the truth behind the Titans was unraveled, and secrets beyond Paradis’ walls were unveiled. This has made the beginning of Season 4 more exciting and packed with thrill as the puzzles were now slowly connected.
Speculations have flooded the internet for the upcoming events of the all-new season finale. Everybody is excited as we keep ourselves posted on the sudden turn of events that awaits us as we brace ourselves for this final chapter.
Whether we witness a whole new Eren or be pierced by the sudden death of a protagonist, all we could do is just speculate and wait for the final call.
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